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Symphony has been meeting the demands of cooling the inner space of a closed space for years. Recent studies of coronavirus being airborne have changed people’s perceptions to cool down their spaces. Rajesh Mishra, President (Sales and Marketing), Symphony Ltd. spoke to BE’s Kuntala Sarkar regarding the present market of their brand.

Q. Multiple studies have opened the possibility of Corona virus being airborne. So, how using air coolers can be a viable option in summer than air conditioners? 

A. With the possibility of coronavirus being airborne, WHO and the government of India have been advising to maintain proper ventilation indoors to reduce chances of being infected. Essentially, one should keep windows and doors of the room open in order to ensure constant flow of fresh air. AC requires a closed environment for efficient cooling and they recirculate same air and can potentially spread infection due to lack of circulation.

On the other hand, air coolers work efficiently in a well-ventilated environment with doors and windows kept open. In fact, Air coolers are natural air purifiers as the air passes through a moist cooling pad with constant water flow which washes the air. So air coolers are the practical cooling device in current scenario where one needs to avoid infection due to recirculation of air in closed rooms. 

Q. Closed areas (both commercial and residential places) are demanding proper ventilation during the pandemic. How Symphony air coolers are especially equipped for helping that? 

A. Symphony air coolers provide effective cooling with doors and windows kept open. It constantly draws the air from outside and delivers cool air. This directional air flow coupled with improved ventilation helps in lowering the potential for infection from accumulated viral load in rooms. Moreover, Symphony air coolers come with i-Pure technology with multiple set of filters like bacteria filter, smell filter, allergen filter and PM 2.5 wash filter installed to clean the air. So, the air that gets delivered is fresh and filtered. 

Q. Share Symphony’s growth trajectory of 2021 compared to the last year.

A. Air coolers are highly seasonal in nature, selling mostly during the summer months. Due to lockdown during summers in 2020, the sales had taken a dip last year. But this year, till the onset of summer, the demand was robust and we expected good sales this season. However, things went haywire from the mid of April as the country suddenly came under a vicious grip of Covid that led to lockdowns and market closures in most parts of the country. The need exists and demand is there but with markets closed. With lockdowns being relaxed and markets reopening in some parts of the country, we hope the sales would bounce back.

Q. How the domestic and international demands have graphed in past three quarters for you? 

A. The first two quarters last year comprised of the recovery phase from the pandemic and the lockdown. We could rebound to the business as usual during fourth quarter and the channel partners were confident of the revival. After a reasonably good festive season, the retailers were able to invest. Rallying with the confidence, we could clock good growth in the secondary sales that is - the sales from the distributors to the retailers. By the end of the quarter, we were in a comfortable position in anticipation of a good season. The modern trade and e-commerce channel got a boost due to the early orders. 

Lockdown effect was felt in the international business too. Travel restrictions, high freight cost, constantly increasing inputs costs and other pandemic related limitations added to the woes. However, some markets in parts of Africa and middle-east performed well, where the effect was comparatively less severe. Our sales in USA and Australia through our local subsidiaries grew phenomenally. 

Q. How would you compare the commercial or industrial demands beside residential demands? 

A. In India the market for air coolers for industrial and commercial usage is still growing. There is no national brand in this segment. We saw an immense potential and started manufacturing industrial and commercial air coolers in India. Last year we launched industrial cooler accessories for providing end to end air cooling solution to our customers.

Symphony industrial coolers can be used to cool any space which is otherwise impossible to cool. Any open, semi-open or ventilated large space can be effectively cooled by Symphony industrial coolers. This is a virgin market and we are expecting a good growth from this segment. Currently, we are witnessing an increasing awareness and demand for industrial and commercial coolers in India.